Genoa Park District seeks feedback to Chamberlain Park plan

Wyatt Allen (left), 6, and Daniel Newhall, 6, play Thursday on the playground at Chamberlain Park. Two public input meetings are scheduled in June regarding some improvements/changes to the park. Planned changes include moving/rebuilding the skate park, converting the existing skate park back to a tennis court and adding features such as a sand volleyball court, shuffle ball court, concrete baggo’s, horse shoe court and pickle ball.

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(Monica Maschak – mmaschak@shawmedia.com)

Nine-month-old Esme Eyerly swings for the first time Thursday at Chamberlain Park . Two public input meetings are scheduled in June regarding some improvements/changes to the park. Planned changes include moving/rebuilding the skate park, converting the existing skate park back to a tennis court and adding features such as a sand volleyball court, shuffle ball court, concrete baggo’s, horse shoe court and pickle ball.

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(Monica Maschak — mmaschak@shawmedia.com)

Brooke Allen, 3, plays Thursday on the playground at Chamberlain Park. Two public input meetings are scheduled in June regarding some improvements/changes to the park. Planned changes include moving/rebuilding the skate park, converting the existing skate park back to a tennis court and adding features such as a sand volleyball court, shuffle ball court, concrete baggo’s, horse shoe court and pickle ball.

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(Monica Maschak – mmaschak@shawmedia.com)

Kyle Garrelts, 15, skates at the skate park Thursday at Chamberlain Park. Two public input meetings are scheduled in June regarding some improvements/changes to the park. Planned changes include moving/rebuilding the skate park, converting the existing skate park back to a tennis court and adding features such as a sand volleyball court, shuffle ball court, concrete baggo’s, horse shoe court and pickle ball.

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Monica Maschak - mmaschak@shawmedia.com
Vince Montalbano, 13, practices tricks at the skate park at Chamberlain Park on Thursday, May 29, 2014. Two public input meetings are scheduled in June regarding some improvements/changes to the park. Planned changes include moving/rebuilding the skate park, converting the existing skate park back to a tennis court and adding features such as a sand volleyball court, shuffle ball court, concrete baggo’s, horse shoe court and pickleball.

Garrelts wants Genoa Park District to have a bigger skate park, equipped with a half-pipe, quarter pipes and a funbox ramp, among other things.

"I use the skate park all the time," Garrelts said. "It'd be cool to have new things to skate with."

That's the type of feedback Genoa Park District officials are seeking as they plan changes at Chamberlain Park. The park district will hold two public input meetings at 6:30 p.m. June 10 and June 17 at the park district office building, 400 E. Second St., Genoa.

The park district wants to bring back the tennis court formerly located where the skate park now stands and move or rebuild the skate park. Other possible features include a sand volleyball court, shuffle ball court, a concrete bag-toss area, horse shoe court and pickle ball.

The park district needs community feedback to apply for a grant from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources that would cover half of the estimated $120,000 cost to make the changes, said Paul Bafia, Genoa Park District executive director.

The rest of the money would come out of the park district's capital improvement budget, for which they already have the funds to move the existing skate park and put in a concrete bag-toss area, Bafia said.

Park district leaders have received multiple requests to bring back the tennis court, and the 16-year-old skate park is aging, Bafia said.

"It's past its life expectancy," he said. "The existing ramps are in pretty bad shape. It's a good opportunity to build a new skate park if we get the grant."

Officials are waiting to apply for the grant because they need to get community input first. The deadline to submit a grant application is July 1.

Construction would likely begin in the spring, Bafia said.

Kingston resident Bethany Sullivan is excited to have a tennis court at the park. Sullivan said there is no tennis team at Genoa-Kingston High School, 980 Park Ave., Genoa, so it would be a needed amenity.

Even though Sullivan doesn't play tennis, she said she'd pick up the racket and play at Chamberlain Park if the park district restored the former tennis court.